Denmark’s Chart Art Fair Reports Successful Fourth Edition

Denmark’s leading Contemporary Art fair finished on Sunday reporting the most successful edition yet. The fourth CHART ART FAIR with its ambitious presentations across the event generated strong sales and encouraged meaningful dialogue between collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts. This year more galleries participated in the fair than ever before, with 30 leading galleries in total; 28 from the Nordic region and 2 galleries with Nordic roots residing in Copenhagen and Helsinki, with 4 new galleries joining the fair this year. 2016 also saw the launch of a new section, CHART DESIGN, for which 6 of the leading galleries showing the best of contemporary and classic Nordic design presented for the first time. CHART 2016 showcased a remarkable cross-section of high-quality works from established and emerging contemporary artists from the Nordic territories, Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Over 15,000 people visited CHART 2016, making it the most popular edition yet. While the attendance of collectors and institutions from the Nordic region was once again strong, the presence of new collectors attending the fair for the first time from territories including China, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, UK and USA reinforces CHART as the leading contemporary art fair in the Nordic region with strong international appeal.

Simon Friese, Director of CHART, said: “Without a doubt, this has been the most successful and ambitious edition of CHART yet with more galleries than ever before and the launch of an entirely new section, CHART DESIGN. The quality of the work was excellent and it is thanks to our exhibitors who work so closely together to curate fantastic presentations that feel more like a museum show than an art fair. This year we were pleased to welcome many new international collectors, and we hope after experiencing the uniqueness of CHART they will come back again and again.”

Gallery Response: Collectors responded with great enthusiasm to the gallery presentations across CHART, with galleries reporting strong sales throughout the fair in the main section and the inaugural DESIGN section. Gallerists highlighted the high number of attendees at this year’s fair, particularly new international visitors including collectors, curators, and museum representatives.

Nicolai Wallner, Founder of Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, said: “Chart is a great opportunity to meet Scandinavian as well as the international collectors. Also this year we have made new and interesting local and international contacts and we have placed works in great and important collections.”

Nils Stærk, Founder of Nils Stærk Gallery, Copenhagen, shared: “This is by far our best year. I think we have really benefitted from focusing our presentation on just two artists; all the works on the booth are new and were made specifically for CHART. We have sold works but also received numerous new commissions, which is excellent, and we have met many new Nordic and international collectors here. In fact, some of our existing clients who we didn’t even think about inviting called us to see if they could participate in CHART this year.”

Marina Schiptjenko, Founder of Andréhn-Schiptjenko, Stockholm, remarked: “We are always fans of CHART but this year has been particularly good for us. It seems that there are more curators here this year, which is an important addition, but also the foreign collectors especially. Also to be with other galleries in the same room and share experiences is a very valuable and rare thing. CHART is friendly and laid back – I think the exhibitors and the collectors really appreciate that.”

Auđur Jörundsdóttir, Director of i8, Reykjavík, shared: “I think the quality of the fair is getting better every year. The international collectors really appreciate that the fair is small and they are able to speak to the gallerists. We’ve met new international collectors this year, and also those from Denmark.”

Petter Rusten, Director of Galleri Brandstrup, Oslo, said: “We are very satisfied with the fair – there has been a lot of visitors and sales has been good. This is our first year participating at CHART and we had high expectations, but we are definitely coming back next year. The fact that the fair doesn’t have separate booths makes the dynamic different from other fairs we participate at and I enjoyed this format.”

Gitte Johannesen, Director of SPECTA, Copenhagen, added: “CHART has been brilliant this year, there have been lots of people consistently over the three days. We have sold works by all four of the artists we have brought, which is excellent. It feels really good here.”

Mari Männistö, Director of Helsinki Contemporary, Helsinki, shared: “For us, it’s the first time at CHART and we are really honoured to be a part of it. It’s been an excellent opportunity for us to make new connections. I think this fair really supports the image of how we do things in this part of the world – being collaborative and bit more relaxed. It’s the best attitude to have – it works.”

Juhani Lemmetti, Founder of Juhani Lemmetti, Helsinki, said: “I am delighted to be a part of the first year of Design at CHART, which has been very successful for us. It is the best Nordic art fair and expanding to incorporate design makes a lot of sense. Many of my collectors also collect art and vice versa so it’s highly beneficial for exhibitors in both sections.”

Maria Wettergren, Founder of Galerie Maria Wettergren, Paris, remarked: “I think it’s a very interesting first year for the Design section; the fair is very focused and well-thought-out. The small but beautiful selection of both historical and contemporary design pieces displayed in this gorgeous historical building right in the middle of Copenhagen makes this first design edition of CHART rather attractive.”